It has been almost two decades since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie first got together, and eight since they announced their split, yet they're still in the midst of legal fallout from their divorce.
Though the former pair were declared legally single in 2019, it wasn't until last year that their divorce was reportedly finalized, and only as a bifurcated divorce, meaning while the divorce itself is settled, other matters such as child custody or property division are set to be dealt with over a longer period of time.
At the center of their extended legal battle is their French vineyard, Château Miraval, which the couple purchased in 2008 and is where they married in 2014.
They have been at odds over the property since 2021, when Angelina sold the holding company in control of her 50% share of the winery (Nouvel) for $67 million (to Stoli), and Brad subsequently sued her over the decision, claiming she was aiming to inflict harm on him amid their divorce.
Now, two years later, a judge has dismissed most of the Bullet Train actor's claims against his estranged former spouse.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, the Maleficent actress' attorney Paul Murphy said: "The judge dismissed most of Mr. Pitt's claims because they don't have a legal basis," adding: "Mr. Pitt's lawsuit has never been about a business dispute; instead, it is about his attempts to cover up serious abuse, and we are gratified the judge has thrown out so much of Mr. Pitt's complaint."
© GettyHe emphasized: "Angelina truly harbors no ill-will toward Mr. Pitt, and hopes he will now release her from his frivolous lawsuit, stop his relentless attacks, and join her in helping their family heal in private."
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Brad, who still owns his own 50% stake in the winery, was suing Angelina on several claims under a variety of legal umbrellas, from Luxembourg to tort law, seeking to recover both monetary damages and legal fees.
© GettyDespite the dismissal, the lawsuit will continue, as the court has granted him time to make the dismissed claims legally tenable, and moreover two other claims remain to be settled.
One includes Brad's argument that he had an unwritten and unspoken though implied contract with Angelina that she would not sell her stake in the winery without his consent. (Though they need to meet certain criteria, implied contracts can be legally binding and enforceable in court.)
© MICHEL GANGNEBeyond their Miraval dispute, Brad and Angelina have also been previously at odds over child custody as well as abuse allegations on behalf of the latter; she sued the FBI over their handling of the abuse allegations against Brad, which stemmed from a mid-air altercation while on a private plane, later revealed to have occurred a week before she filed for divorce.
Before their acrimonious split, the two shared six kids: Maddox, 21, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15.
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